Presents from the Carlsons

Hello,

Last night we opened our first Christmas presents of the season. Aunt Leanne told me we could open them right away which was a mistake- because I completely listened! =0)

The boys had so much fun opening presents. I had to help them a little with the ribbon, and get the tape started for them but overall they did a great job opening their own presents! They really enjoyed the books that they got. Ben read the whole alphabet book to them and when Ben reads the page he says the letter, shows them the word, points out the letter in the word, says the letter again, and then talks about the colorful page. One book can easily take Ben 30 minutes to read. They didn't move the entire time he was reading it. They loved it! They looked at the pictures in the other books, but Ben didn't read them yet. One book a night is the limit the way Ben reads. He's such a good teacher. I can really tell the boys learn a lot from him.

I have to say though, the boys favorite present was the trucks. They both loved how the ladder went up and down. It actually was driving me nuts by bedtime, because they would pull the ladder up and then run it over to me to put back down. I must have put that ladder down 100 times in an hour! =0)

Now... before I tell you the next part it is important that you know this. When Hunter and Connor were still in my belly Hunter had a more fluid and a better line to the food. Connor had a sufficient amount but they referred to it as Connor being on a modified diet. The doctor told me when I was pregnant that Connor would be a little more anxious and Hunter would be more laid back. He told me I would probably notice this right away and as they grew up because of the "food situation." He was spot on. When Connor was born he was in absolute panic. They won't let preemies eat for 12 hours after they are born, because they want to make sure their bellies can handle it... Connor would have none of it. He screamed and cried until the 6 hour mark when the nurses finally said, "For Pete's sake just feed him!" Hunter didn't cry once for food. He was almost a month old and he would wake up and just lay there. Sometimes I wouldn't wake up until after him and I would wonder how long he'd been laying there awake-just waiting for the bottle to come to him. As they've grown up nothing has changed. Connor still panics in the morning until he has a cup of juice, Hunter still waits patiently (especially since Connor will bring it to him!) We've begun to see a little problem though. Connor has gotten use to Hunter being so laid back. If Hunter has a toy that Connor wants (and this has been going on since they were six months old), Connor will find a new toy and "trade" Hunter so that Connor gets the toy he wants. He does the same thing with books, with food, with juice. If Connor wants it he simply walks over and "trades" Hunter. Hunter has yet to protest. Until last night!

Hunter opened his truck and gasped! "twuck" he whispered. He was so excited. I had to open it right away for him. Connor also very excited about his own truck shoved it over to me to open immediately. It wasn't until Hunter figured out that he could push his twuck better on the tile that Connor decided he wanted a turn with Hunter's truck. He walked over to make the ritual trade and Hunter said....."NO!".

WHAT?!! We knew deep down that this day would come, and we've been waiting for it. Some things you can teach your kids, but some things they just have to work out on their own. Connor was devastated. Now because they are almost two they are pretty forceful. Connor reached down to grab the truck and take it anyway. I had to step in at this point and tell Connor, "Brother said No. He doesn't want to trade trucks right now. He wants to play with his new truck that was given to him. Maybe later you can share your trucks, but not right now." This resulted in massive tears. Hunter continued to play with his new truck. He even pretended to wrap it again so he could open it again. He walked it all over the house saying "vroom, vroom".

Connor cried and cried. Finally, Daddy said that Connor's truck was so cool he wanted to get a picture of it. After a few pictures Connor realized his truck was pretty cool too and he began to play with his own truck. About 30 minutes after the initial "NO" Hunter decided he wanted to look at books and rearrange the decorations on the tree which allowed Connor to play with BOTH trucks. Oh... it's going to be a hard lesson to learn now that Hunter is speaking his mind.

Overall, it was a very fun night! It made me twice as excited for Christmas. THANK YOU CARLSONS for such wonderful and thoughtful Christmas presents!

Stephanie

PS: I struggle with the photo loader on this blog site. In order to get the pictures in chronological order it takes me a lot of planning and time... I don't have time this morning- so sorry they are in random order. =0)

Hunter playing with his new "twuck." He was very excited that it worked so well on the tile.

Connor upset that brother said no. If you look close you can actually see he had tears.

The initial response after being told No.

Connor excited about his truck and wanting me to open it ASAP!

Connor looking at what he'd just unwrapped.

Connor and Hunter looking at the beautiful book they were given.

Connor did a great job unwrapping presents.

Hunter- very serious. Concentrating on opening his present.

One of the pictures Ben had to take of Connor's truck to get him excited about his own truck.

Hunter whispering "twuck." He was so excited he didn't know where to begin!

Just like Daddy

Today is a two post day! I couldn't help it- they were just too cute. As soon as I finished blogging the boys asked for second breakfast. Not uncommon due to the fact that they eat their first breakfast two hours before Daddy eats. When Daddy eats they want to have what he's having. For weeks the boys have been drinking their milk from their bowl just like Daddy but today we were able to get cute pictures! Connor was funny too, because he asked for cereal. When I gave him his bowl he tried to drink the milk right away. I told him that he had to eat the cereal first or else the cereal would hit him in the face. He listened intently and then began picking all the cereal out of his bowl! It was so funny I just let him do it.

Hunter- ever so carefully drinking his milk. He did not want to pick his cereal out. That would mean he'd get messy. Something he is not a fan of!

Hunter looking at Daddy and wondering why the flash keeps going off in his face while he's trying to drink his milk!

Hunter never smiles when he's concentrating. It's all business when he's learning something new or working hard.

Notice the cereal on the table that Connor has picked out.

Yummy!

We never have trouble getting our kids to drink milk, we just put it in a bowl! =0)

Divine Creation

Hunter Playing with his Little Drummer Boy Set. He loves the song it plays. Grammy always buys the cool toys.

Connor helping Mommy vacuum. He's actually really good! He'd do the whole floor if I'd let him.

Dear Connor and Hunter,

It's five days until Jesus' birthday! Are you as excited as I am? Probably not, but one day you will be! As it gets closer I've been thinking a lot about how perfect you two are. How can people believe in evolution when it's so clear that only a Divine Creation could be responsible for two absolutely perfect little boys. I love everything about you from your little toes to your button noses. You make me laugh so many times during the day. You make me feel loved and special every day. You are everything that is great about this world. Evolution could not possibly have created all of that. It wasn't until I became a Mommy that I truly understood God's love for us. If I feel for you even a micro amount of what he feels for us- We are truly loved and special.

Yesterday Mommy cleaned house. I cleaned for a good hour and a half before my blood pressure spiked and Daddy made me sit down for the next five hours. Connor helped a bunch. He vacuumed the whole living room (almost!). Hunter didn't feel like helping much because Grammy had just dropped off a new toy- The little drummer boy! He wanted to play the song over and over and over! First thing this morning he went straight to the toy and turned on the song. It is a good song.

Finally, when Mommy's blood pressure had been good for several hours Daddy let us all go to the mall for an hour. We went for the purpose of pre-ordering the traditional Christmas morning Cinnabon's. I look forward to those every single year! When we got to the mall Santa was there. We knew you two wouldn't sit on his lap, but you got so excited when you saw him we had to give it a try. The conversation between Mommy and Hunter went like this:

Mommy- "Look it's Santa."

Hunter- "SANTA!"

Mommy- "Maybe one day we'll go see him."

Hunter- "SEE HIM!"

Mommy- "Let's go get our Cinnabons."

Hunter- "SEE HIM!" - as he breaks free and bolts toward Santa!

I grabbed Hunter just in time before he ruined another families picture and we got into the back of the line. Ten minutes later (That's being generous, it could have easily been twenty), Hunter was practically jumping up and down and Connor was pushing off of me to go see Santa. The elf said, "Ok, it's your turn." We took two steps toward Santa and Connor froze while Hunter just burst into tears. We eventually convinced you to at least give Santa a High Five. A few High Fives later we were leaving without sitting on his lap and without a picture- just like Mommy and Daddy thought would happen. But how could we deny you the chance?

You loved Cinnabon. We played in the toys at the mall, and bought Daddy some jeans at Old Navy. You were such good little boys. I was so proud of you. Especially since this is the time of the year where little children in the mall are having melt downs like crazy, but not you two. You were smiles and fun the whole time.

Today you're going to Grandma Karen's for a little while. She didn't get to babysit you this week and she's going through withdrawals. She called at 7:30 this morning asking if she could take the boys for a few hours. She said she was sure that Daddy and I would have Christmas shopping or present wrapping we would want to get done.

I love you two so very much! I can't wait until Christmas morning! It's going to be so fun!

Love you and Love you,

Mommy

A good day

Connor yelling at Mommy through the window.

Hunter peeking out the window. Connor making a run for it.

Hunter chasing Connor through the tent. Look how hard he's laughing!


Connor decorating the tree.

Connor trying to convince me to hand him the ornaments out of his reach.

Hunter decorating the tree.

Hunter likes the ornaments we cut out of his color book the best. Last night, Connor ripped one on accident and Hunter was VERY upset.

December 17, 2009
Dear Connor and Hunter,
We’ve been having such a fun day. You both woke up at 4:00 this morning and I had to move into bed with you to get you to go back to sleep. I don’t mind. I pretend I do, but I actually like getting a few hours of snuggle time a night with you. It doesn’t happen very often anymore. You both snuggled into me and we even slept in! It was almost eight by the time you two woke up. You always give me a good morning kiss when we wake up together and I love it!
Then we went to the living room and you two watched Elf while I made pancakes. They weren’t as good as Daddy’s but you didn’t protest. I asked if you wanted to go play in the playroom after breakfast and you two did not. You never want to play in there now that we’ve let you have free roam of the house. You both decided you would redecorate the tree. I don’t know how many times that tree has been redecorated, but I’m thinking about buying some more cheap ornaments to let you move around, we don’t have a ton yet. I want the ones that Grammy got you to stay nice, so I might move those higher and give you some cheaper ones.
Finally, I convinced you to go play in your playroom. I had to pull out the tent though. I hate that tent. I’ve hated it since the day you got it. Leanne got it for you for your birthday. You two think it is the greatest thing ever, but you can’t figure out how to play with it without collapsing it. So I’m constantly untangling you from it, or resetting it up. It drives me nuts, so it’s not a toy I bring out often. Today I could tell you needed a change of pace. I set it up and you both immediately ran into it. You must have played with it for almost an hour; chasing each other through the tunnel, hollering at me through the window. I was really impressed today that it collapsed only a few times.
Then you watched another twenty minutes of elf while I made lunch. You still won’t eat any meal that is pre-made and in a can. I tried spaghettio’s again today and it was no dice. You ended up eating peanut butter and apples, turkey meat, and cheese. Yum. I was laughing so hard at lunch, because I made Connor put a meatball in his mouth from the spaghettios and he instantly spit it out. Hunter saw that and wouldn’t even give it a try. I guess I can’t complain that you two like to eat healthy food.
We ended the morning with a bubble bath. Connor is going through a phase where he likes to scrub his butt. He says, “BUTT!” and then takes his wash cloth and begins scrubbing away. Hunter just giggles at him and washes his face. You’re now both in your room settling in for a nap. I’m going to have to remind you in a minute that you only have 10 minutes to read. You don’t have a sense of time so I can say that over and over and each time you feel the urgency. =0) I love you!
Mommy

"said NO!"

Daddy helping hunter make a turkey out of his hand! I love Hunter's chubby cheeks.

Dear Hunter,
In the last month you have tripled your vocabulary. You want to talk all day long! You can repeat just about any word that we say to you, which I use to my advantage! The other day I wanted donuts and juice, but the roads were too bad for me to take you to the store. So… we called Uncle Wade and I told you what to say on the phone. How can an uncle say no to his adorable nephew? (Insert villain laugh). Your favorite words right now are Santa (which you scream every time we watch the movie Elf and Santa’s sleigh breaks down), More, and Connor. You’ve been saying Connor’s name a lot lately. You call for him to come to you and you call his name to show him things. It’s pretty cute because your ‘r’ still sounds like a ‘w’. You also heard me call Daddy by his first name and so now you holler, “BEN!” You always start giggling after you say it, so I think you’re messing with him because it drives your dad nuts! You’re still a snuggle bug. You want to sit on my lap constantly and you get your feelings hurt if I say no. You don’t like my belly. It drives you nuts that it keeps getting bigger and in your way. You constantly lift my shirt up to look at it. You’re really into hugs right now. Sometimes you grab me around the neck so tight I can’t move and you just hold on for minutes at a time. I don’t fight it, because it is the world’s best hug and I know that this too is just a phase that I will miss one day. You called Grammy and told on me the other day. You wanted a candy cane from the tree. Grammy had brought them over so you could decorate the tree and when you two found out it was like a sucker you started asking me for them constantly. This particular time I told you no because you hadn’t had breakfast yet. You walked over and picked up the phone. You said, “Hi,” and then waited for a few seconds. Then I hear you say, “said NO!” I just know you were calling Grammy to tell on me. You like to sleep in and stay up late. We don’t let you stay up late, but you try your hardest. Connor always falls asleep first and then you continue to redecorate your room with stickers, or read books for another good thirty minutes. One night I really wanted cheesecake in bed. It had been an hour since we had told you goodnight and your room was really quiet so I was sure you were asleep. I cut Daddy and I a big piece of cheesecake and walked down the hall to our bedroom. As I passed your bedroom I froze. You were looking right at me. I stared at you for a second like, “Uh-OH”. You just gave me this look that said, “Whatever mom, this stinks!” I then moved very slowly to our bedroom and out of your vision. Your dad and I laid there for five minutes waiting for you to come to the gate and protest, but you never did. You’ve decided that you know enough about the world now that you can tell Connor what to do. We have to remind you all the time that Hunter is not the boss. Mommy is the boss. You don’t like hearing it, but you always go and tell Connor “Sowwy.” You’re not even close to being ready to potty train. You hate to have your diaper changed and you will do anything to avoid it. I’ll say, “Hunter, did you poop?” and every time you say, “NO!” and then take off running in the other direction. I don’t know why you hate having your dirty butt changed, but you do. You love to run. All I have to do is tell you to show me how you ‘run so fast’ and you take off running in circles. You run so fast and for so long that I’ve wondered if you’re getting dizzy. I always tell you that you’re going to be a Gold Medalist and you giggle and run even faster. It’ll be interesting to see if you will always love to run, or if you’ll grow out of it. My favorite part is when I pretend like I’m going to catch you. I just sit on the floor as you run by and I yell “I’m going to get you…oh, he’s too fast!” You laugh so hard and keep running. After about ten times of this you want me to catch you and so you almost come to a complete stop. That is my cue to “catch” you and tickle you. You giggle so hard. It’s amazing how much energy you have. Thanks for always making me laugh and giving me hugs and kisses. I love you and love you.
Mommy

" I dunno..."

Dear Connor,
You have grown up so much in the last month! You’re learning new words like crazy and you have the cutest little voice. My favorite line is when you say, “I dunno.” Your voice goes higher with each syllable. It all started with the squirrel. We have a squirrel in our back yard that runs along the fence. Whenever Grandma Karen comes over to watch you she always lets you look out the window to see if you can see the squirrel. You started pointing to the window and babbling a lot to get Grandma to find the squirrel. When she couldn’t find it she’d say, “ I don’t know where the squirrel is.” Now you constantly go to the window and say, “I dunno.” It is so stinkin’ cute. You have a lot of other words too, although you are still very selective in when you use them. I think you’ve been growing lately. You seem to fit better into the 18 month pants and you are sleeping a lot! In fact, we learned the hard way not to let you fall asleep in the car because once you’re out- there is no waking you up! Daddy has been teaching you how to tackle. You’re getting pretty good at it and you’ve taken Hunter down several times. We’re still working on teaching you that you have to eventually let Hunter back up. It’s funny to see you tackle him, since Hunter is bigger. You love the movie Elf. Every day at least twice you ask if you can watch “EFF.” I’m getting sick of it, but you are so cute when you watch it that I give in pretty easy. You like the music and the bright colors. There are several toy scenes where you can see Elmo in the background and that makes you pretty excited. I think you’re going to have a great time opening presents this year. I wrapped a few and put them under the tree and you have been so anxious to get into them. Every now and then you run by and rip a small piece of paper off. It’s been about two weeks and you’ve finally opened one completely. Luckily, it was Grandma Shannon’s so you didn’t ruin your surprise! We’ve been having fun decorating the tree. This is the first year I have an ugly tree, but I actually like this tree so much! Normally, I would have a tree with white lights and all matching ornaments. This year we have multi colored lights and all sorts of weird goofy ornaments that are hanging by string (instead of hooks). We even cut out some Sesame Street ornaments out of our color book and hung those up by string. You rearrange the ornaments all the time. Speaking of rearranging… Daddy and I bought you stickers to decorate the walls of your room. You had so much fun. I loved watching you do it because every time you couldn’t get the sticker to stick on the wall (trying to put it on backwards) you would assume that the wall wasn’t working and pick a different wall. You’re getting close to ready to potty train. I’m not going to do it until I’m on maternity leave though… I may even wait until the summer. I just want to make sure you are truly ready before we start! You come up to me with a diaper and you say, “POOP!” When I say, “Do you need a new diaper, did you poop?” You say, “Yeah.” One day Grandma Karen was getting you a yogurt and all of a sudden you froze and said, “OH! POOP!” She picked you up to go change your diaper, but you had blown out of your diaper and your jammies! There was poop everywhere. The look on your face was priceless when you froze and said, “OH! POOP!” If only I had gotten a picture. You’ve been making us laugh so much lately and I’ve really been enjoying every minute with you. You're so honest. I hope that never goes away.

We'll say, "Connor, did you take that toy from your brother."

"Yeah."

"Connor, did you take the gate down?"

"Yeah."

"Connor, do you need a time out?"

"Yeah."

You are such a sweet, well behaved boy. I’m so glad that I’m on vacation and we get to spend the next three weeks together! I love you and love you.
Mommy

A month in Review!!

Hello,
Another month has come and gone! Due to a Grammy that is getting antsy for a blog, I'll post the letters later tonight. The boys just went down for a nap, so I'm hoping to get one too! Enjoy the pictures.

Hunter and Connor got to play in the snow for the first time today. They weren't too thrilled. It was cold, and a little icy. They must get that from me. It probably would have helped if Daddy was home, he can make anything fun!

Reminds me of Ralphie's brother.... I was worried they would be too cold so they were wearing their thermal pj's, jeans, three shirts, coats, hats, and gloves! We got outside and we were all sweating!

Connor looks so big to me in this picture.

The boys are still the best of friends. If they aren't playing together they are cuddling together. Even when they fight, they hug and say sorry. Connor even gave himself a time out today for not sharing toys with Hunter. I love that they are friends.

I tried to make Aunt Leanne's recipe so the boys could decorate cookies. It was an awful mess and I managed to ruin a perfectly good recipe. Mom is going to come over later this month and help us make cookies that we can actually eat... these, we just played with and threw away!

The Sprinkles were fun though!

Hunter didn't smile once. He was concentrating so hard. It was so cute!

If only his cookie would have been edible all that hard work would have been worth it.

Earlier this month I had the boys decorate their room. We gave them a bunch of stickers and let them go nuts. I kept some to myself and decorated higher out of their reach, but I think the cutest part of their room is how crazy the bottom half looks. The stickers are meant to be used over and over again, so we're finding them all over the house and every night before bed the boys move them around and re-decorate.

One day I turned the bath water and then walked into the hallway to talk to Ben. I had my back turned for less than a minute and the boys decided they didn't want to wait. They jumped in. Ben was watching the whole thing over my shoulder. It was pretty cute, but a pretty big mess.

The reindeer on Connor's shirt just cracks me up in this picture- is it just me or is Connor making the same face as the reindeer?

We took almost the whole bath in our clothes. It was the best bath ever if you ask two little boys!

Letters to come later tonight.... Stephanie